KFC to Launch Plant-Based Fried ‘Chicken’ at 4,000 U.S. Stores
The Beyond Fried Chicken will be available in stores nationwide from 10 January.
Credit: KFC
KFC, one of the world’s most famous chicken brands, is launching plant-based fried “chicken” at 4,000 restaurants across the United States.
The fast-food chain has teamed up with the leading vegan meat brand, Beyond Meat, to create the plant-based menu item, ‘Beyond Fried Chicken’. It will be served as part of a combo meal, or in six- or 12-piece orders with prices starting at $6.99, depending on location.
“We couldn’t be prouder to partner with KFC to offer a best-in-class product that not only delivers the delicious experience consumers expect from this iconic chain, but also provides the added benefits of plant-based meat,” said Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO, Beyond Meat. “We are truly thrilled to make it available to consumers nationwide.”
This marks another collaboration between the pair who have previously explored meatless chicken options together. In August 2019, KFC held a one-day event trial of Beyond Fried Chicken in an Atlanta store. With customers forming huge queues around the block, the store completely sold out of vegan chicken in less than five hours. KFC then expanded the trial to nearly 70 locations in Nashville and Charlotte, before adding the in-demand ‘chicken’ to 50 trial locations across California, which sold out within the week.
“The mission from day one was simple – make the world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken from plants,” said Kevin Hochman, president, KFC U.S. “And now over two years later we can say, ‘mission accomplished.'”
The launch of Beyond Fried Chicken is good news for animals: around 1 billion chickens are killed every year by KFC alone.
While the recipe itself is 100% plant-based, KFC is not advertising the ‘chicken’ as vegan or vegetarian as it is prepped in the same area as animal meat. The product is aimed at meat-eaters who are vegan-curious or working to cut down on their meat consumption.
Animal-Free Meat Takes on the Fast-Food Space
To limit their environmental impact and meet growing consumer demand, many companies are working to up their plant-based offerings, and Beyond Meat is one of the major players helping them to do just that.
This latest partnership with KFC comes after Beyond Meat announced two multi-year global strategic partnerships last year: one with McDonald's, and one with Yum! Brands - the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut.
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.